Sweet Stone brigadeiros

Author: Sophie McComas
Photography: Ben Hansen

3:45PM, Oct 6, 2016

Brazil's national sweet has hit Australia.

Imagine fudge. Now combine it with a chocolate truffle, mix it
with condensed milk and butter, then roll it in flaked almonds, raw
coconut or milk chocolate splinters. What you have now isn't some
kind of Frankenstein-style chocolate nightmare; it's a Sweet Stone
brigadeiro. And it's delicious.

The brigadeiros Barbara Cardoso recalls from her childhood in
Brazil were a staple found at every single event or
celebration.

"They were literally condensed milk, butter and a Nesquik-sort of
powder," she says. "The chocolate powder wasn't that good, and they
were always too sweet."

Inspired by a crop of dedicated artisanal brigadeiro shops she saw
popping up back home, she sought to invest in premium ingredients
to lift the sweet from basic to brilliant in Australia. After
locking down a supplier of sustainable Fair Trade-certified Belgian
Callebaut and French Cacao Barry couverture chocolate, and
experimenting with flavours and styles, Cardoso and her partner
Ross Capsanis settled on seven premium expressions of the
brigadeiro and launched Sweet Stone in 2014 on Sydney's Northern
Beaches.

Velvety smooth with a ganache-like texture, slight chew and gloss,
Cardoso's product is exceptional. A gift box of mixed flavours may
include chai-spiced, original, almond, coconut, a dual flavour
combining Ecuadorian dark chocolate and white chocolate or a Mayan
variety with a touch of cayenne pepper. The sweets come presented
in selections of four, eight, 15 or 30 and arrive in a neatly
designed box, each stone nestled in its own compartment. We
recommend going large, really large, to save yourself from
instantly ordering more.